<p>AnnieBeats - I think you are painting with way too broad a brush here. I worked as a travelling leadership consultant for my fraternity after graduation and was responsible for approximately 40 chapters at universities throught the northeast, great plains and midwest. That was almost 20 years ago, and I never encountered a university whose greek system was segregated in the manner you discuss. </p>
<p>This does not mean that the greek system mirrored the student body. Members of the greek system were more likely to come from middle and upper class families, whereas students from lower class families were less represented in the greek sysyem. But I never say any evidence that this was due to discrimination against lower class students. It was simply a matter of money. Fraternity dues were upward of $500/semester back then, and that was a deterrent for many of the poorer students.</p>
<p>I didn’t work with chapers in the old south, but I don’t doubt most fraternity chapers at universities in the old south, especially the traditionally southern fraternities like Kappa Alpha, are predominantly white and upper class. However, I seriously doubt that segregation on these campuses is limited to the greek system. You wouldn’t expect to see a lot of diversity in the greek system if the campus itself has a problem getting members of different races to interact.</p>
<p>You say that universities have a moral obligation to make people of different races interact with each other. I strongly disagree with that. I believe universiteis, especially state universities, exist to provide an academic, rather than a moral, education. But assuming, arguendo, that universities have some moral obligation to promote diversity and multi-culturalism, they can do so by intergrating the dormatories (i.e. assigning incoming students roommates that are from a different race or socioeconomic group). Universities can prohibit fraternities and sorrorities from denying membership based on race or religion, and most of them do, but universities have no business telling fraternities and sorrorities which specific students they should bid. </p>